Abstract

This paper demonstrates the ability of beer yeast cell wall extract (BYCWE) in suppressing various fungal and bacterial plant diseases. Root treatment with BYCWE suppressed Fusarium wilt of spinach, bacterial speck disease of Arabidopsis and cucumber anthracnose. Leaf and root extracts from BYCWE-treated spinach significantly reduced (Fusarium wilt) pathogen proliferation. Furthermore, BYCWE treatment induced the expression of defense related genes in Arabidopsis resulting from the activation of two pathways; salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) /ethylene (ET) signaling pathway. As, BYCWE does not show any antimicrobial activity we propose that induction of systemic resistance acts as a mechanism of suppression against Fusarium wilt of spinach, bacterial speck of Arabidopsis and cucumber anthracnose. These results imply that the industrial fermentation waste of beer yeast cell may be utilized as a source of suppressive effects on various fungal and plant diseases.

Keywords: Agroecosystem, beer yeast cell wall extract, Saccharomyces pastorianus, ISR, fusarium wilt, industrial fermentation waste.